Facts about Radon Gas Testing

Introduction

Radon is one of the highly radioactive gaseous elements discovered by Ernest Rutherford, an English physicist in 1899. Also, in 1900, the discovery was credited to a German physicist known as Friedrich Ernst Dorn with more clarification that the former discovered radon’s alpha radiation while the latter discovered that radium was actually releasing a gas.

This radon gas is found to form from the natural disintegration of uranium in rocks, water, soils or ground and seep into indoor air through holes and cracks in the foundation and other openings in the home. This implies that radon gas is inevitable as one cannot do without air and water.

Typically, outdoor air extremely consists of low levels of radon compared to indoor air. Studies have shown that radon gas builds up in high concentration levels inside the building or an enclosed space when the entrapped gas is unable to disperse; thereby altering the air quality in the home. Radon gas may not be seen or tasted but poses a serious threat to home and household. However, many people are ignorant of the existence and danger of radon gas to the occupants due to its colorless and odorless nature unlike other common home hazards such as lead-based paint, asbestos, and much more.

To establish some of the health effects of radon gas, various health practitioners have studied and confirmed that radon gas is carcinogenic which is more dangerous to smokers and with nonsmokers, they have a slightly elated risk of developing the disease when the gas is high in the home. Hence, it is essential to prevent health issues associated with radon gas by carrying radon tests of your home as often as possible.

Simon Air Quality has put this content together to establish facts about radon gas testing, but before then, let’s quickly dive into what is meant by the word “radon.” For more understanding about the topic, read further to discover more…

What is Radon?

To a layman, radon is viewed as a cancerous radioactive gas that cannot be smelt, seen or tasted but causes some health issues in the home. According to Surgeon General, radon is the second primary cause of health problems such as lung cancer, and much more. Children have been studied to be more sensitive to the gas as a result of children’s higher respiration rate and speedy cell divisions which may be more liable to radiation damage. How do scientists see radon?

Radon is described as a colorless and odorless radioactive gas which exists naturally in the atmosphere by seeping out of the soil, water, and rocks. It is a chemically-inert gas that comes from the uranium depletion that has long existed in the ground since the formation of the earth.

Radon is the heaviest common gas with an atomic radius of 1.34 angstroms. Due to its atomic nature, radon freely penetrates building materials such as concrete blocks, gypsum board, wood paneling, sheathing paper, mortar, and other common materials such as plastic bags, paints, water, leather, paper, and some insulation. Hence, houses without basements are at higher risk of radon health-related issues compared to those with basements.

This doesn’t mean that the level of your neighbor’s radon test has significant effects on your home. The knowledge of your home’s radon level is vital for your overall health. However, there are no specific or average radon levels for each region, state, or city.

Radon Levels: What you Need to Know

Radon in buildings or homes is unavoidable, but its levels vary from one house to another. Only through measurement can one determines its level in one’s home, and this is vital to the health of every household breathing the air in the home. There is no standard radon levels for all homes as what is acceptable to one region or country may vary to other regions.

Testing is the key to a safe environment for you and your family. One thing is sure, and that is “radon is carcinogenic.” This is enough reason to test your home for possible exposure to radon to be sure if you and your household are on a safer side. Yeah! Radon level can be measured, and there is standard unit for it. This will be discussed next in this article.

Measurement Units of Radon Level

The levels of radon gas are measured in units named after Pierre and Marie Curie, the French scientists who first discovered radium element in 1898. Due to unstable nature of the radioactive element, radon is always in random motion and its nucleus that later releases radiation to the air. To explain the radon levels measurement, 1 curie is equivalent to 1 gram of radium, and this disintegrates at 2.2 trillion per minute.

One of the standard measurements for the decay of radon speed is picocuries per liter of air (or pCi/L), and this is equivalent to 1 trillionth curie or pCi. However, the metric system is being used everywhere as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) who measures in Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3) as against the US in picocuries per liter. This means that 1 Bq is equal to 1 radioactive decay per second and 1 pCi/L is equivalent to 37 Bq/m3.

What are Safe Radon Levels?

The key point to the safe radon levels assumption is that, the higher the level, the higher the risk, and vice versa. The best and perfect radon level measurement is zero. However, that is impossible anywhere in the world as radon gas is imminent. In as much as there is a presence of air in a home, radon is also present.

On an average, global level of radon of the outside air ranges from 5 Bq/m3 to 15 Bq/m3 which is equivalent to 0.135 – 0.405 pCi/L. Any increase in radon exposure of 99.9Bq/m3 or 2.7 pCi/L, there is an increased risk of lung cancer by 16%; the higher the level, the higher the risk of the related health problems. According to World Health Organization, most of the lung cancer cases globally are as a result of low to moderate concentration of radon in the homes.

What are Acceptable Radon Levels?

Acceptable radon levels differ based on each country and region. Generally, the World Health Organization establishes the acceptable radon levels to be 100 Bq/m3 or 2.7 pCi/L. Any structure, building or home measuring higher than this is urged to take proper measure to tackle its radon levels to a lower level.

The allowable limit level is further advised by WHO not to exceed 300 Bq/m3 or 8 pCi/L. While the Canadian – National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP) recommends that no level of radon is safe and further advised households that are allergy to lung cancer and as well as smokers to take remedial actions even at 200Bq/m3.

Radon Gas Testing: Should you Test your Home for Radon?

The best way to go about ensuring your home is safe from radon attack is by testing your home levels for radon. There are no identifiable instantaneous symptoms that may alert homeowners of the radon presence in the home. Radon can live in the house for years before you start feeling its problems, and at that time, it might have eating deep into the body and cause severe health issues.

You can buy a test kit and perform the test yourself or you can as well hire a radon professional to carry out the analysis for you. Many people think that buying a radon testing device is the best option, but there are some issues about testing radon level of your home yourself. Professionals are in the best position to perform the test to give you the most accurate measurement of your home. Reach out to the expert now!

What is Recommended Duration for Radon Gas Testing in your Home?

There are both short-term and long-term radon tests. Based on the amount of radon gas in your home, long-term radon tests can take not less than 90 days, while short-term radon tests can be completed in 48 – 96 hours. However, the frequency of your home radon testing, the safe your home will be kept. Do you really need a radon gas testing professional? Click here.

Common Methods of Radon Mitigation

Any radon mitigation system aims to lower the level of radon in the home. You cannot do but have a mitigation system in your home to reduce the amount of radon in your home as radon is unavoidable. Many people claim that having an air conditioners may assist in lowering radon, but they forget that cooled air cannot decontaminate air. Let’s quickly look at common radon mitigation methods:

Soil suction: This technique is a way of drawing radon beneath the house or building structure and vents the gas away from home through vent pipes. The suction method is limited to houses with concrete basements or slab basements positioned on a gradient.

Sealing cracks and openings: Sealing cracks and opening may not completely lower radon levels in your home, but it can help in limiting the radon flow into your house and as well as minimize the conditioned air loss; hence, it enhances the effectiveness of other radon mitigation system in the home.

House pressure system: This is also known as house pressurization. It makes use of a fan to cause a pressure differential in the home to prevent radon from entering your home. It also entails constant close of doors in the house.

Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV): This is a new emerging technology of radon mitigation which is installed by attaching it to your HVAC system to improve ventilation and air quality in your home. It exchanges your polluted, stale, and contaminated indoor air with fresh outdoor air. It is one of the most convenient and result-oriented methods of radon mitigation. You can get HRV and other indoor air quality products here!

Conclusion

Radon gas is unavoidable in the home, and no amount of radon level is completely safe for you and your household. The sure ways to play safely in this situation is by frequently testing and analyze your home for level of radon gas existing in your home, and this can be efficiently carried out by a professional.

One of the tested and trusted radon experts in Canada today is Simon Air Quality. They are equipped with experienced and trained technicians to perform your home radon testing at an affordable fee. For further inquiries on your home radon gas level information, you can contact us now. Stay tuned for more articles on radon gas!